Coinbase users once again have a bitcoin wallet available on the Apple App Store, following the computing giant's relaxation of rules over the inclusion of digital currencies on the platform.
Surprisingly, though, the app was not developed by Coinbase, but is the work of Andrew Vilcsak – an AirBnB developer and bitcoin enthusiast.
However, Coinbase has given Vilcsak's app the thumbs up in a tweet:.
Great to see this community contributed app! We reached out to the dev to review the code and believe it is secure. https://t.co/hPZVSr7GOI— Coinbase (@coinbase) June 20, 2014
No bells and whistles
Vilcsak’s open-source app is based on the Coinbase API and, the developer says, supports "all major operations", such as sending and receiving bitcoin, recording transaction history, balance and more.
No fancy features have been included, but many users will be happy to at last have a wallet app on their Apple device that will sync with their CoinBase account.
The app requires iOS 6.1 or later and it is compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices. It is optimised for the iPhone 5, meaning it was not optimised for phones with 4:3 aspect ratio screens.
The app has received mixed reviews and its legitimacy has been questioned by some in the community, but the tweeted endorsement from Coinbase should go a long way toward addressing these concerns.
No word on official app yet
It remains unclear whether or not Coinbase is planning on releasing an official iOS wallet.
Since Apple eased its restrictions on bitcoin-related apps earlier this month, a number of wallet apps for iOS have appeared, but big names like Coinbase and Blockchain have been conspicuously absent.
However, since small developers don’t have to jump through nearly as many hoops as big players, the delay is perhaps not surprising and official products are likely at some point in the future.